What is GM's Rear Seat Reminder system?

In an effort to combat the increasing number of cases of heatstroke amongst children mistakenly left in cars, GM will release the Rear Seat Reminder, a safety feature that alerts drivers exiting their vehicles of children, pets, or other belongings they may have left in the back seat.

If the rear doors are opened and closed within ten minutes before the car is started or while it is running, Rear Seat Reminder activates. The next time the car is turned off, a message that says “Rear Seat Reminder Look in Rear Seat” will be displayed on the instrument panel followed by five chimes. The chimes are not obnoxious, but loud enough to grab one’s attention.

“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke related fatalities or heatstroke related conditions,” said Tricia Morrow, GM global safety strategy engineer. “About half of those have been left in the backseat of a vehicle.” Unfortunately this figure is very accurate as 24 children died this way in 2015.

However Morrow is confident this new feature will cut down on the growing statistic.

“Technology alone cannot solve the issue of heatstroke when it comes to young children, but this new Acadia reminder can help,” Morrow said. Rear Seat Reminder comes standard in the 2017 GMC Acadia. GM has plans for it to be included in future models as well.